Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez pledges to conserve water for national Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation

MIAMI (April
04, 2017) —

Throughout the month of April, which is Water Conservation Month, communities across America are being challenged by the Wyland Foundation (a non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world’s ocean, waterways, and marine life) to commit to sustainability by making a series of pledges to conserve water, energy and other natural resources.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez has taken the pledge on behalf of the County.

“As residents of Miami-Dade County, we are surrounded by beautiful bodies of water and we must take care of them, especially our drinking water source,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “We should never take them for granted and by spending less than two minutes to make this pledge and learn some water conservation tips, we can each make a difference that will add up to significant savings for the future.”

Mayor Gimenez’s pledge is expected to result in more than 83,000 gallons of water saved in the next year, as well as reducing landfill refuse by 1,920 pounds, saving 543 gallons of oil and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 282,000 pounds.

Not only can each of us make an impact by conserving our natural resources, but residents can possibly win free prizes, as well. Prizes include home improvement store gift cards, showerheads and the grand prize of a Toyota Prius. In 2016 alone, residents around the nation, from Anchorage to the Florida Keys, made 404,407 pledges to reduce water waste by more than 1.9 billion gallons — or roughly enough water to fill 2,877 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

By altering daily lifestyle choices, pledges also resulted in potentially 42 million fewer pounds of refuse in landfills; potential savings of 12 million gallons of oil; 6.1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide; 126 million kilowatt hours of electricity, and $29 million in consumer cost savings rounded out the final pledge results.

If you invite your friends to take the pledge, you will also be entered to potentially win a prize of the day.

To help your city be the most water wise take your individual pledge to conserve water.

Each city and their residents in Miami-Dade County can make their pledge representing their municipality. However, if you are one of the 1.1 million people who live within Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, you can still participate, as well.

When you click to make your pledge on the website, type in Miami-Dade County and select the option “Can’t find your City, click here” and manually type in Miami-Dade County and select FL as the state, so Unincorporated Miami-Dade County receives credit for the pledge.

In Miami-Dade County, individuals use approximately 134 gallons of water per capita per day. To learn how you can decrease your carbon footprint and participate in Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department’s various conservation rebate programs, go to WASD’s Conservation Page.

It is the priority of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department to provide safe, reliable service to its customers. For additional information about Department services and programs, visit the website.

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To request materials in accessible format, sign language interpreters, and/or any accommodation to participate in any County-sponsored program or meeting, please call Cecilia Brewer-McDuffie, 786-552-8669 or email, [email protected], five days in advance to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).